Envelope machine



May-18,1937. F. L. SMITHE I ENVELOPE MACHINE Original Filed Aug. 12; 1932 :s sheets-shear 1 INVENTOR Ferdinand L. Smifh? ATTORNEYS May 18, 1937. F. L. SMITHE ENVELOPE MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 12, 1952 INVENTOR Ferdinand L.5m/fhe. BY

ATTORNEYS May 18, 1937. F. L; SMIT H E 2,080,442

ENVELOPE MACHINE Original Filed A112:- 12, 1932 5 Sheets-SheeLS Fi'qa A TTORNE YS Patented May 18, 1937 "STATE rer miomcc N. Y a corporation of New Yor Application August It, 1932,. Serial No. 628,494

Renewed August 22, 1935 7 Claims. 101. 93462) This invention relates to envelope machinery and more particularly tomeans for rnaking winlower margin of theblank to be gripped to and dew envelopes,

The invention has for an object mechanism in combination with astandardenvelope making machine, for taking whole blanks,

cutting windows in them,v applying; window patches to the blanks and delivering them-tethe standard envelope machine. A mechanism of this character-,hascthe advantage that there isno necessity for carrying stocks of blanks provided with windows because the same blanks. may be used for producingenvelopes with or withoutwindows. .It has the further advantage that, the same standard machine may be employed for making. envelopes with or without windows. with windows are wanted the blanks are put into a magazine and fedthrough thewindow cutting and patch applying mechanism to the supply magazine of the standard machine, whereas if envelopes without windows are wantedthe. blanks are put directlyinto theisupplymaga nine of the standard machine and the-window cutting and pa pplying mechanism iscaused to remain idle. a i

Other. objects and advantages? will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings forming part ;h

fication,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary; diagrammatic view in side elevation illustrating thewindow. cutting and patch applying mechanism in conjunctionwx with a fragment of a standard envelope making machine; i V

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, sectional, side elevation on a larger scale than Figure 1 showing a. portion of .the mechanism illustrated in Figurehand I a a stack 5 in a magazine 2. The blanks are taken singly from the bottom of the stack by separator mechanism. This separator mechanism is desirably the same as that illustrated in the pending application of Abraham Novick, Serial No. 628,302, filed August 11, 1932, for Envelopemachines, and is, therefore, only partially illustrated herein. Briefly, the separator mechanism comprises a pneumatic picker device 3, Figure 2, which starts the lower edge of a. blank away from the stack, a wedge or dagger device 4 which presses the separated margin away from the stack and. toward a variable speed roller! andto contrive Thus ;if envelopes rollers 14 and fragmentary plan view of the mechanism of Figure 2, the table being omitted;

The envelope blanks are placed in the form ofthe grip of the movable jaw. While the blank 'chip is thus displaced by the tucker blade, a tail portion 2| of the movable jaw 20 snaps abruptly auxiliary feed rollers 6 which are oscillated upon the periphery of the feed roller 5 to cause the fedforwardby the feed roller 5 at thcappropriatetirncin the cycle. The feed rollers 5 and 6 start the blank along a table I i i Afeed roller 8 cooperates with the feed roller 5, through the table, to deliver the blank to a feeding couple comprising a lower roller-9 and 1' sidexfiaps so that slipping is avoided. The variable speed feed roller 5 is rotating at as great peripheral speed as the rollers 9 and ID from the. time when rollers 9 and IU'first grip the blank until the blank has passed from between the grip of the rollers 5 and 8. y i j The blank is deliveredby the rollers 9 and I0 .to a pair of rollers H and 12. 'The roller 12 is provided with a cutting die l3 for cutting a window opening in the blank and the roller I l' is 0 provided with a suitable'cutting bed or surface for co-action with the die l2. the blank chip adheringbya fewfibers to the The die [3 leaves mainbody portionof the blank and the blank, with the chip still present, advances between feed 30 I5 to a chip removingrnechanism' l6. i r r The chip removing mechanism l6 comprises upper and lower rollers ll-and l8. The upper roller' I'l carries a tucker blade l9, and the lower roller :18: garries a movable jaw 20. The blade l9 and the movable jaw 20 come into substantial registry at opposite sides of the blank simul: taneously, .and the tucker blade acts to tuck the blank chip which occupies the window spaceinto off. ofsa-high portion of a stationary cam 22 and is urgedto closed orgripping position as illustrated in Figure 2 by a spring 23 to securely grip the blank chip and carry it away. The advance of the blank is continued by a series of feed rollers 24 and cooperating feed rollers 25.

It is delivered thence between a large feed roller 26 and cooperating feed rollers 21 and'28. The roller 28 diverts the blank upwardly and causes it to come into engagement with a. feed. drum 29. Pins 30 on the drum 29 come into engagement with the trailing edges of the side flaps of 5 I the blank to carry it forward in definitely timed and aligned relationship to gumming mechanism 30 and patch applying mechanism 3|. These mechanisms are generally like the corresponding mechanisms disclosed in Figure of Serial No. 628,302, referred to above.

The gumming'mechanism comprises a gum box 32, a gum take-up roller 33, a transfer segment 34, and a roller 35 which carries a gum applying segment 36.

The patch applying mechanism comprises a reel 31 which supplies a web 38 of transparent window patch material. The web 38 passes. around a guide roller 39 and a roller 40 for taking up the web slack and passes thence to'a feeding couple comprising rollers 4| and 42. These rollers are intermittently operated to advance the web at each actuation a. distance corresponding to the height of the desired window patch. The

web is advanced past a stationary blade 43 and is severed after it comes to rest by a movable cutting blade 44. A blade carrier 45 imparts oscillatory movement to the movable blade 44, the carrier 45 being controlled by a cam 46 and aspring'41. At the time of severance of the patch, the patch isgripped between a movable table 48 and an intermittently driven roller 49. The leading end of the patch becomes impaled upon pins 50 carried by a patch transfer segment 5|. The transfer segment 5| applies the patch to the gummed blank. The patch applying segment 5| travels at the same peripheral speed as the cylinder 29 when applying the patch. The continued rotation of the cylinder carries the envelope blank downward past rollers 52 and 53 and causes it to be deposited on the top of a stack 54 in a magazine 55.

The blanks are taken singly from the bottom of the stack 54 by a separator mechanism 56 and are arranged in fanned-out relation upon a belt 51. The blanks pass around a drum 58 beneath a guide belt 59 and are delivered onto the surface of a cylinder 60. The cylinder 50 carries the blanks in fanned-out relation past a gummer GI and delivers them to a drying conveyor 62. The magazine 55 and the mechanisms which follow it are desirably the same as the corresponding parts illustrated in Serial No. 628,302, above referred to, and need not, therefore, be described in detail. The parts from the magazine 55 on constitute parts of a standard envelope making machine whereby the manufacture of the, blanks into finished envelopes is carried out.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiment of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiment shown, but what I desire to cover by, Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims. 1

I claim: 1. The method herein described which consists in feeding blanks'from a stack so as to completely individualize them, cutting window openings in the blanks, applying ajwindow patch to each blank and arrangingthe'blanks in fannedout relation for further operation thereon.

2. In an envelope machine, in combination, means for taking envelope blanks successively from a stack so as to individualize the blanks, means for cutting window openings in the blanks, means for applying patches to the window openlugs, and means for arranging the blanks in fanned out formation for further operation thereon.

3. The method herein described which consists in feeding blanks from a stack so as to individualize them sufficiently to expose the window area of the blanks, cutting window openings in the blanks, applying a window patch to each means for taking envelope blanks successively from a stack so as to individualize the blanks, rotary means for cutting window openings in the blanks, rotary means-for applying patches to the window openings, means for gathering the blanks, and means for arranging the blanks in overlapping formation for further operation thereon, said last-named means comprising a support, means for gathering the blanks into a pile on said support and means for removing the blanks one at a time from said pile.

6. In an envelope machine, in combination, means for taking envelope blanks successively from a stack so as to individualize the "blanks, rotary means for cutting window openings in the blanks, rotary means for applying patches to the window openings, means for gathering the blanks, and means for arranging the blanks in overlapping formation for further operation thereon, said patch applying means comprising a cylinder, means on the cylinder for conveying blanks, and means for gumming the window opening and applying the patch while so conveyed.

7. In an envelope machine, in combination, means for feeding blanks from a stack so as to individualize them sufliciently to expose the window area of the blanks, means to cut window openings in the blanks, means to apply a window patch to each blank and means to arrange the blanks in overlapping relation.

FERDINAND L. SMITHE. 

